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garding the reduction of the allowable cut of the timber base in the 

 Tongass National Forest. 



We have been promised and guaranteed through legislation in 

 the past that we would receive an allowable cut that would sustain 

 the forest industry in Southeast Alaska. In the past, we have made 

 major concessions to maintain this allowable cut in order to pre- 

 serve our jobs and futures. How many more concessions must we 

 make? 



We cannot tolerate a reduction in the allowable cut on the Ton- 

 gass. The effects on the entire economic base of Southeast Alaska 

 would be devastating. It would cause an economic collapse of pro- 

 portions unseen anywhere since the depression in the 1930s. 



The major proponents calling for a reduction in the allowable cut 

 are the same people who live in wood houses, work in wood offices, 

 sit behind wood desks, cut or buy Christmas trees and use ream 

 upon ream of wood paper products, not to mention paper for more 

 personal uses — all this while inking legislation on these reams of 

 paper, reducing the source of these products and our jobs. Webster 

 has a word for these people. It is called "hypocritical." 



Now, for the members of the Congress who support such ridicu- 

 lous legislation. You people recently attempted to give yourselves a 

 pay raise which was more than the average yearly income on the 

 Tongass Forest. Are you willing to compensate us, support our fam- 

 ilies, and re-educate us, as you did in creating the Redwood Nation- 

 al Park? I hope so, because we cannot if you take our jobs away. 



I only hope you show some semblance of justice and sanity in not 

 deviating from the present allowable cut in our forest. I say "our 

 forest" because a vast majority of the people supporting this legis- 

 lation do not even live in our state and will be totally unaffected by 

 this legislation and economic disaster. 



Thank you. 



Senator Wirth. Thank you very much, Mr. Jacobs. 



Senator Murkowski? 



Senator Murkowski. I am interested in a couple of things, Mr. 

 Chairman, brought up by Ms. Brown. 



The cut timber behind Sitka that you referred to 



Ms. Brown. I have a picture here that I brought that shows the 

 area. 



Senator Murkowski. If the professional staff wanted to go out 

 and look it the mountain, how far would they have to go? 



Ms. Brown. I think you could just — anywhere downtown you can 

 see it. It is very visible. 



Senator Murkowski. We could go outside the door here and look 

 up at the mountain? 



Ms. Brown. You could see it. 



Senator Murkowski. You could see where the old growth was 

 cut maybe some hundred years ago? 



Ms. Brown. A little over a hundred years, I assume. 



Senator Murkowski. And the Russians, and others I assume, did 

 a lot of timber cutting around here. It is safe to say, probably, that 

 all of the accessible timber that one can see, and I hope that my 

 colleague. Senator Wirth, has an opportunity to look around the 

 area, is all second growth timber? 



Ms. Brown. Right. 



